City residents debate change to elected mayor

Published: Tuesday, August 1, 2006 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 1, 2006 at 4:16 a.m.

SARASOTA -- The city is changing. A seven-member charter review committee will help to decide whether the government should change along with it.

More than 40 residents on Monday night sought to provide the committee with input on whether Sarasota should have an elected mayor, rather than a rotating ceremonial mayor.

The crowd of citizens was split. One camp felt an elected mayor would only mean more politics, creating the potential for abuse.

Others called for more leadership, arguing that a four-year mayor was the way to get it.

The charter review committee will absorb all of the input before coming to a recommendation in a few months.

The committee is also considering whether city commissioner salaries should be raised for a job that's becoming increasingly full-time.

Much of Monday's discussion at City Hall focused on what effect an elected mayor could have on a city that's rapidly growing.

Robin Harrington, interim president of the Laissez-Faire Neighborhood Association, feared that having a mayor would only make political matters worse. He pointed to the case of Charleston, S.C., where current Mayor Joe Riley was first elected in 1975.

"I would hate to think that this city would be run by one individual for such a lengthy period of time," Harrington said.

Others used Riley and Charleston as a case for why having an elected mayor works. "If Joe Riley weren't doing things correctly, he would have been kicked out a long time ago," said Ian Black, the president of a Sarasota commercial real estate brokerage and management firm.

With a leader like Riley, Black said, Sarasota could become the best small city in America.

"It's almost like we're scared of taking the lead to really have leadership," he said.

<p>SARASOTA -- The city is changing. A seven-member charter review committee will help to decide whether the government should change along with it.</p><p>More than 40 residents on Monday night sought to provide the committee with input on whether Sarasota should have an elected mayor, rather than a rotating ceremonial mayor.</p><p>The crowd of citizens was split. One camp felt an elected mayor would only mean more politics, creating the potential for abuse.</p><p>Others called for more leadership, arguing that a four-year mayor was the way to get it.</p><p>The charter review committee will absorb all of the input before coming to a recommendation in a few months.</p><p>The committee is also considering whether city commissioner salaries should be raised for a job that's becoming increasingly full-time.</p><p>Much of Monday's discussion at City Hall focused on what effect an elected mayor could have on a city that's rapidly growing.</p><p>Robin Harrington, interim president of the Laissez-Faire Neighborhood Association, feared that having a mayor would only make political matters worse. He pointed to the case of Charleston, S.C., where current Mayor Joe Riley was first elected in 1975.</p><p>"I would hate to think that this city would be run by one individual for such a lengthy period of time," Harrington said.</p><p>Others used Riley and Charleston as a case for why having an elected mayor works. "If Joe Riley weren't doing things correctly, he would have been kicked out a long time ago," said Ian Black, the president of a Sarasota commercial real estate brokerage and management firm.</p><p>With a leader like Riley, Black said, Sarasota could become the best small city in America.</p><p>"It's almost like we're scared of taking the lead to really have leadership," he said.</p>